Hold Congress Accountable

Knowledge is power. It makes sure people understand what is happening to their country, and how they can make a difference. FreedomWorks University will give you the tools to understand economics, the workings of government, the history of the American legal system, and the most important debates facing our nation today. Enroll in FreedomWorks University today!

Search FreedomWorks

Resources

Blog

Pennsylvania Students and Parents Rally for School Choice in Harrisburg

Ever since Pennsylvania’s Senate voted in favor of school choice last month by passing SB1, the pressure on the state House of Representatives to send this important bill to Governor Corbett’s desk has been steadily increasing. Yesterday that pressure was ratcheted up even further when some 2,000 students, parents and other school choice supporters flooded the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg demanding educational freedom.

The rally was organized and promoted by school choice movement stalwarts and FreedomWorks coalition allies REACH, Students First and the Catholic Conference, who were all integral to the success of SB1 in the state Senate. As this fight continues in the House, neither FreedomWorks nor our allies will rest until we have achieved our shared goal of putting parents and students in control of Pennsylvania's school system.

With the fall legislative session scheduled to end on December 14th, it's more important than ever for the supporters of school choice to make our voices heard in Harrisburg. Please TAKE ACTION by calling or emailing these House Leaders to request their support for school choice and SB1:

When Common Core standards first passed in 2010, teachers unions were cautiously optimistic. After a glimpse of their implementation, however, that enthusiasm quickly began to sour. In 2014, the National Education Association, which once supported the standards, launched unambiguous criticism against the program, calling its rollout “completely botched.”

The city was founded in the midst of the California Gold Rush. So when the early-2000s real estate boom hit Stockton, they thought history was repeating. In just seven years, property values tripled, tax revenue spiked and the city's leaders had dollar signs in their eyes.

Education reform advocacy group StudentsFirst, led by school choice champion Michelle Rhee, has released their State Policy Report Card. This report card was designed “to evaluate the education laws and policies in place in each state.” The study used three forms of criteria for evaluation to find states in which schools: Elevate teaching, Empower Parents, and Spend Wisely & Govern Well.

The Chicago Teacher’s Union is at it again. The group’s radical president Karen Lewis, known for leading the teachers in their first strike in a generation, fancies herself as a warrior for union rights rather than a protector of education. Her latest battle cry? Class warfare.

Teachers are given the incredible responsibility of educating children. Around the world, parents entrust these men and women to spend their days educating children with the expectation that they will stick to the curriculum and leave personal beliefs at home. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Next month, the film Won’t Back Down will hit theaters around America. It is the story of a mother who will not accept that her child will be subjected to an unsatisfactory education simply because she comes from a financially disadvantaged background. It is a look at school reform in America, and will put Parent Trigger Laws front and center ahead of the upcoming election season.

After being on the ground and fighting for education reform for nearly 2 years, our FreedomWorks field team in Pennsylvania received some great news on School Choice as of late Saturday evening, June 30th, when HB761 passed both chambers right before the midnight budget deadline. Governor Tom Corbett signed the bill into law that same night along with an on-time budget. A school choice voucher program was one of the Governor's top priorities during his campaign in 2010 and we are thrilled to see movement in the right direction.

Yesterday, the FreedomWorks Pennsylvania Field staff, Ana Puig and I, were in Harrisburg pushing HB2468 in the House. This is EITC/EISC program legislation which was introduced last week by Representive Jim Christiana. This legislation will phase in two components of a proposal to enhance school choice options in PA--The successful EITC program and an Educational Scholarship Credit Program (EISC) that is specifically aimed at rescuing students who are attending PA's lowest performing schools.

As a vote on school choice reform looms closer in Pennsylvania, a potential school choice victory in New Hampshire is moving forward. Two bills promising to provide tax credits to businesses that donate to nonprofit scholarships have been passed by both houses of the legislature. Despite the governor’s "real concerns" about the proposed legislation, both bills have veto-proof majority support. While opponents argue that these bills will take money ou